Robert d'Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk

Robert d'Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk (9 August 1298-4 November 1369) was Earl of Suffolk from 1337 to 1369, preceding William de Ufford. The Earl of Suffolk was a notable English commander during the Hundred Years' War, fighting at Crecy and Poitiers.

Biography
Robert d'Ufford was the eldest surviving son of Robert de Ufford, 1st Baron Ufford, and he succeeded his father in 1316, inheriting his lands in Suffolk. In 1326, he was sent to levy ships for royal use, and, in 1329, he accompanied the young Edward III of England on his journey to Amiens. In 1330, he was granted Orford Castle in Suffolk, and he was summoned by Isabella of France and Earl Roger of Shrewsbury to fight against the king's rebels. Nevertheless, in October 1330 he associated with William de Montacute during his capture of Nottingham Castle from Roger's forces. In 1332, he was summoned as a baron to Parliament, and he was sent as an emissary to Scotland in 1335. He then served in a campaign against them, and he was made warden of Bothwell Castle. On 14 January 1337, he was made Admiral of the North, and he was then made Earl of Suffolk.

In the opening stages of the Hundred Years' War, Suffolk was sent as a diplomat to France and the Holy Roman Empire. In September 1339, he took part in an expedition to Cambrai, and he attacked the French near Lille in 1340, leading to his capture and relocation to Paris. Philip VI of France wished to kill Suffolk, but King John of Bohemia intervened on Suffolk's behalf and saved him. In September 1340, he was released as part of a truce, and he took part in the English intervention in Brittany in 1342. In 1344, he became Admiral of the Northern Fleet, accompanying the King on a short expedition to Flanders. At the Battle of Crecy in 1346, he fought on the English left wing, and he took part in the fighting against the unbroken remnant of the French army on the second day of battle. In 1350, he won a naval victory at Winchelsea. In 1356, he commanded the rearguard at the Battle of Poitiers, and he led the vanguard on the march back to Bordeaux after the victory at Poitiers. In 1359, he took part in the expedition into Champagne, and he was thereafter only employed in embassies. He died in 1369.